FORT PIERCE — A medical helicopter from Melbourne was initially called to assist with a fatal fire in Fort Pierce but experienced a delay because of temporary flight restrictions in place during President Barack Obama's visit.

The restrictions, however, were not a factor in the response, a flight company spokesman said.

FirstFlight officials were in the process of getting Federal Aviation Administration clearance when St. Lucie County Fire Rescue canceled the helicopter. Emergency crews decided to use an ambulance to transport Thomas Ponder to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute, located three miles away from the house fire.

"Getting clearance took 2-3 minutes," said Chris McGahee a spokesman for HealthFirst, which owns FirstFlight. "The TFR didn't impact their ability to fly. Our crews were preparing to fly when we received the call waving us off."

McGahee said is a responding agency canceling a request is common.

"It happens all the time," he said.

President Obama was winding down his weekend golf outing at the posh Floridian, which straddles the Martin/St. Lucie County line, when St. Lucie County Fire Rescue received an 8:30 a.m. Monday call from a passer-by who spotted flames coming from a home in the 2200 block of North 25th Street and Juanita Avenue in Fort Pierce.

At the scene, firefighters found an elderly couple, Barbara and Thomas Ponder, with severe burns and 8-year-old Demetris Gollet trapped inside the home, which was 80 percent in flames.

Barbara Ponder and Demetris were flown to Orlando. However, Barbara Ponder, died Monday evening from injuries. Demetris sustained third-degree burns to his face. On Tuesday he was flown from Orlando to a specialized burn unit at Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati. Thomas Ponder was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and later flown to a hospital burn unit in Miami.

Authorities suspect the blaze was caused by Thomas Ponder falling asleep while smoking a cigarette.

St. Lucie Fire Rescue called FirstFlight, which operates air rescue from Melbourne that serves Brevard and Indian River counties, initially was called to the scene because of the number of victims.

That meant the chopper had to get clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly into restricted air space.

The restricted airspace included flights from surface level up to 18,000 feet in St. Lucie and Martin counties and Palm Beach County, where the president flew in.

According to the restrictions, which were posted on the FAA's website Feb. 13 — two days before the president's trip — medical helicopters had to receive prior approval from the FAA before entering airspace. Also, a phone number was given for pilots to call to receive clearance before the president's visit.

St. Lucie County Fire Rescue did not respond by the newspaper's deadline for showing the time the Brevard County helicopter was requested and when it was canceled.

The FAA, in an email Wednesday, denied a lengthy delay in approving FirstFlight request.

"The FAA expedited the handling of air ambulance helicopters that were transporting patients in Ft. Pierce, FL this weekend," the FAA replied in an email. "The FAA did not delay the air ambulance flights due to the temporary flight restriction over the area."